Tiny Tales from Africa The Animals I (Gibbs)

This is the first in what I hope will be a long series of books about African animal tales. You will meet tricksters here like Rabbit (ancestor of Brer Rabbit and Tio Conejo), along with Tortoise, Spider, and more. There are “pourquoi” stories about why Bat flies at night and why Lemur’s eyes are big. There are also stories of magical transformations, like the woman who became a lion. The stories come from many different African traditions; see the list of sources in the back of the book. You can find out more and also listen to an audiobook at Africa.LauraGibbs.net.

The paragraph you just read is 100 words long, as is this paragraph, and that’s also the length of each story in this book. The stories go fast, but you can slow down when you find one you like. Read it again. Read it aloud. Let it sink in. Maybe even write your own version of the story, using your imagination to add more details. Meanwhile, if you don’t like a story, don’t get bogged down; just move on to the next one. You can find many more African animal tales, along with 100-word stories from other cultural traditions, at 100Words.LauraGibbs.net.

1. Anansi the Spider and His Children

It was a feast-day, and all the town’s cooks were cooking.
Anansi wanted to eat everything, but which food would be ready first?
Anansi summoned his children and gave each one a rope, tying the ropes around his waist. “Go watch!” he told them. “When the
food’s ready, tug on the rope and pull me there.”
Anansi waited.
Pepper-soup: ready!
Pumpkin-stew: ready!
Fry-fry, foo-foo, binch-beans: all ready!
Anansi’s children were all pulling at once: this way, that way!
Pulled in every direction, Anansi didn’t get to eat anything, and his waist is still narrow from being squeezed by those ropes.

2. Anansi the Spider and the Singing Ghosts

One night Anansi went to the river alone.
He heard singing. The ghosts were singing!
Dead men scooping water in skulls, scoop-scoop-scoop…
Anansi wanted to sing with the ghosts.
“No!” they told him. “Your head will explode.”
Anansi couldn’t resist; he started singing.
His head exploded, and the ghosts repaired it.
“We won’t be there to help you next time,” they warned him.
But Anansi couldn’t stop himself. The next day he started singing that song: Scoop-scoop-scoop…
His head exploded.
“Help, ghosts!” he shouted.
It was daytime; the ghosts didn’t hear him.
That’s why Anansi has such an itty-bitty head.